Greed and the Death of Professional Sports

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Greed and the Death of Professional Sports

"Show me the money," screamed Rod. "C'mon Jerry, show me the

money!" We vividly remember this famous line from the hit movie, Jerry

Maguire. The greedy football player, Rod Tidwell, screams these

unforgettable lines trying to convince his agent that he will not settle

for any less than a top dollar salary as the flashy Arizona Cardinal wide

receiver. This scene exemplifies what has happened to professional sports

in recent years. The focus of professional sports has evolved from one of

teamwork and camaraderie to one of avarice and greed. The specific

problems in recent years that have stemmed off this overwhelming greed

include exorbitant salaries, lockouts (or work stoppages) in professional

sports, and the growing disparity among team payrolls.

Most recognize these issues as major problems; however, others

overlook the greed and see validity in the financial aspect of today's

sports world. They argue that professional sports are thriving and should

not be modified. They also contend that sometimes lockouts are unavoidable

and are often the only way to work out problems. The opposition reasons

that professional teams with huge payrolls deserve all the money because

they worked hard to get where they are. They argue that most players work

hard to become great athletes and therefore they deserve enormous salaries.

They also plead that lockouts are healthy for professional sports because

they help each sport continually evolve and adapt to new problems it faces.

While the opposition does not notice the gr...

... middle of paper ...

...roblems though, or they will lose everything.

Works Cited

Abert, Daniel. "Pact Ends NHL Lockout." Monthly Labor Review 118 (1995):

76.

"Baseball Owners Approve Interim Revenue Sharing." Available Online:

www.espnet.sportzone.com/editors/mlb/features/0321meeting.html

Bergman, Ray. "My Baseball Dream." Baseball Parks 1 (1996): 1.

Dortch, Shannon. "The Future of Baseball." American Demographics 18 (1996)

25-30.

Jerry Maguire. Dir. Cameron Crowe. Perf. Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. Tri-

Star Pictures, 1996.

Licter, Richard. "Magical Season." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 12 Oct. 1998,

1.

McGraw, Dan. "Baseball Celebrates, Fans Yawn." US News. 2 Nov. 1998, 1.

NFL on CBS. Writ. Tom Weinert. Perf. Al Michaels, Henry Tevers, and Brian

Green. CBS, New York. 26 Nov. 1998.

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